New Girl
by but-levi-i-dont-wanna-clean
Summary: In which a fan of the series (you) enters the AoT world via trans-universal portal... PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK. New chapters come out every Sunday/Monday. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Attack on Titan or any of the characters, I just own the story, This piece of writing was created for entertainment purposes only so please don't sue me and stuff.
1. Arrival

Nobody really expected a monotonous day, but not even Squad Levi could have prepared for her… And the knowledge she came with. (A Levi x Reader fanfic)

(Told in 3rd person)

It was another day at the former Scout Regiment headquarters. Levi was cleaning his office (again), Eren and Oulo were taking care of the horses, Petra was preparing to make lunch, Hanji was writing a report on the latest activities of Sonny and Bean, Mike, Erd, Gunter, and Armin were in the library, Mikasa was working out in her room, Jean was drawing, Krista was reading in the entry hall, and Sasha and Connie were playing checkers.

Levi finished wiping down his table and neatly folded the rag. He looked about his spotless office for something else to clean when he spotted his schedule for today poking out from the bottom of a pile of documents. He frowned and walked over to it. Levi bent down, picked it up and began to read it.

"Have breakfast- check," He muttered to himself as he looked it over. "Clean office- check. Groom horse- check." he marked off each activity with a quill as he said it. "Think about battle tactics- check. Clean office again- check. Group excersize- ch-" Levi was about to cross it off. "I was supposed to do that before noon!" he said, rushing over to the open window to look at the sun's position. He squinted and looked up. "Good call, Levi," he said to himself. "Just in time." He closed the window and left his office. Levi walked down the hall, looking for his squad members. He rounded a corner and bumped straight into Jean, who was holding a rolled-up piece of paper in his hand.

"Watch where you're going, Kirstein!"

"Sorry, Captain!" said Jean, jolted. He saluted Levi clumsily, the paper rolled up in his left hand. Levi narrowed his eyes at it. "What's that?" he demanded, reaching for it. "Oh, um," said Jean, letting his hands fall to his sides and handing the captain the paper. "It's a picture that I drew." Levi unrolled it and glanced at it. It was a portrait of Mikasa, done in a dramatic style, with lots of shading and deep shadows. It was rather good, Levi noted, and he was a tiny bit jealous of Jean's artistic talent, but he would never admit that. He had tried his hand (no pun intended) at art when he was younger, in the Underground, but he was never very good. Levi rolled the paper up and handed it back to Jean with a nod. There was a tinge of red along Jean's cheeks. "Be at the field in a few minutes. I'm calling an excersize. Tell the others." Jean nodded and saluted again. "Yes, sir!" he said, before dropping the salute and continuing down the hallway. Levi made his way downstairs, looking for the other members.

~~Time lapse brought to you by Mikasa's scarf~~

Levi paced before his assembled team, gazing at them steadily with his cold grey eyes. It was roasting outside, and having everyone dressed in full uniform was not helping them keep cool. Even Levi was uncomfortable, but he didn't show it in the slightest.

"Since our next mission outside the wall is not scheduled for another two weeks," Levi said, "I have designed this excersize to help keep you busy in your downtime. We will be repeating this every day. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" said Squad Levi in unison. He noticed that Oulo, Eren, Armin, and Jean were all squinting in the sunlight. Levi frowned, because the sun was behind them, but then he realized what they were squinting at. A small area of air was hovering at eye level (well, Levi's eye level), blurring everything behind it. It was a perfect circle. Levi frowned at it some more, but then shook himself and thought, _It's probably just the sun playing tricks on my eyes._ He resumed his pacing. "The excersize will work like this," he called. "You will-" Levi was cut off as the squad gasped, looking at the pane of wavy air, which was now clearly visible as it grew to about a meter wide, turned black, and began to spiral so fast it looked like the air was being pulled down a drain. Levi halted and walked towards it. The squad inched closer, fearful. Even Mike looked shocked.

A hollow, whistling sound escaped from the spiral and a voice cried out, "_Help… me…"_ Female. About (insert age here) years old. A hand emerges from the spiral and it moans again. "_Pull me… through... "_ Eren grasps the hand and pulls. More of the arm is now visible. An elbow emerges.

"It's not… working!" Eren gasps, clearly pulling with all his might. "Jeager, wait!" Levi snaps, grabbing Eren by the collar and attempting to drag him backward. The extra pull was all that was needed, and a young girl falls out of the spiral, which closes in on itself with a strange sound, somewhere between a crack, a _whoosh_, a thump, and a _crunch_. The girl lays facedown on the grass, dressed in strange blue pants and a plain shirt. A large sack is slung across one shoulder, and her (insert hair length and color here) hair is stragging across her sweaty face. She attempts to prop herself up and gasps.

"Oh…" she says. "My head…" She clutches at her temple, hands red. Then she collapses. Petra immediately leans down and feels her forehead. "Petra, get back!" Levi says. She doesn't seem to hear.

"Captain, she's got an unbelievably high temperature," Petra says urgently. "She needs medical attention. Should we give it to her?" The rest of the squad looks at Levi, worried, expectant, stunned. Levi struggles to keep his face calm. He can't let them know that he's just as confused as they are.

"Attend to her," Levi says. "Search her and remove her pack. Then we chain her up. We'll get answers when she comes to. Excersize dismissed." Then he stalks across the grass, thoughts rushing through his head. He can hear the rest of the team muttering in worried voices as Mike and Petra carry the girl inside. _I need to report this,_ he thinks as he walks through the doors. _Somebody needs to figure this out. _Levi pauses at the foot of the stairs and puts a hand against the wall.

_What the hell is going on?_


	2. Proof

(Reader P.O.V.)

You wake up laying on a cold bed with a thin sheet pulled up to your chin. A bowl of water and a rag rest on a table to your left. To your right is a cold stone wall. Handcuffs are around your wrists and are attached to the stone ceiling by chains. You blink in confusion as you look around. _Funny,_ you think to yourself as you blink and sit up. _This looks like Eren's cell from Attack on Titan._ You blink some more and reach up to your face, chains clinking. You seem to be in a cell. The front of it was a loose grid or thick iron bars, behind which was your backpack on a table, with the contents neatly laid out beside it. You massage your cheeks as you ponder what happened. You had blacked out, apparently, because you didn't remember being chained up and thrown in a cell. You try and ignore the throbbing in your temples as you try and gather your memories. What you did remember from before this wasn't a lot. You were packing for a short trip, and you remembered the packing list being odd- it had said to bring a world map. But where were you going? _I don't remember,_ you realize. _Okay. That's scary._ But after that was all hazy. Your mom was calling you, saying "_(Your name), hurry up! We're going to be late!" _and then something weird happened. What looked like a drain in midair had appeared, and curious, you had reached towards it… and then you were stuck, half in, half out, unable to move. You had reached out your hand and begged for help. Then someone pulled you out, and then you got a horrible headache, and then someone was carrying you… _And then I woke up here._ You rub your eyes. _So that's what happened._

_Thump, thump, thump._ Footsteps were coming from down the hall, far to the right, _Thump. _ They stopped.

"I'm here to check on the prisoner. Is she conscious yet?" You knew that voice. It was Captain Levi. _What the heck?I Captain Levi?!_ You shake your head.

"I'm dreaming," you whisper. Your voice is scratchy and raw, like you haven't spoken in days. "I'm going insane or something. Or this is a prank, 'cause that can't possibly be Levi coming down the hall… Attack on Titan is fictional! This isn't real!" You pinch yourself, hard. "Ow. Okay, not dreaming. Hallucination?" _Thump, thump._ 'Captain Levi' was coming closer. _Great,_ you think. _I'm chained up, disoriented, probably hallucinating, I have a migraine… Am I really in Attack on Titan? There doesn't seem to be any other explanation, but that's completely impossible._ You stare at your hands, which are bright red. _Was that weird air-drain thing like a portal or something? Is there an alternate Attack on Titan universe that I was sucked into?_ You chuckle quietly to yourself and you feel a demented grin spread across your face.

"Hehe," you laugh softly, still staring at your chained hands. "I'm going nuts. That's it." _Thump, thump, thump._ You try to control the insane smile that stretches so wide it hurts. You wrestle with your facial muscles, and finally you tone it down. _Well,_ you think, looking up and out of your cell, _It doesn't seem like I'm getting out of this weird dream anytime soon._ Then a startling thought hits you. _What if… What if I never get home? If I'm trapped in Attack on Titan forever?_ You look down again and feel tears well up in your eyes. _No,_ you say to yourself as you reach up and brush them away. _I'll get back. Armin, Jean, Eren, the others… They'll help me. They have to._ You sniff, then take a deep breath. _Okay, (your name),_ you think. _Get it together. After all, how many times have you wished that you could meet these characters? You'll finally know what they'd really think of you! And you can tell them things about the outside world! And freak them out by knowing everything about them!_ You begin to feel a little less terrified. Not calm, but a little more at ease. _You're okay. You've got this_. You lift your head and feel a sense of determination coursing through you, giving you energy and strength. _Whatever this throws at me, I know how to handle it. I can take anything that happens to me._

_Thump, thump, thump._ A short man dressed in 3DMG straps walk into your line of vision and stands in front of the cell bars. _Captain Levi_. He stops and turns towards you, making eye contact. You gasp a little as he locks eyes with you, his cold, grey pupils dilating. It feels like he's looking straight through you and into your soul, but all you can think of as he stands in front of you is-

"Wow, you're really short."

Levi narrows his eyes.

"What did you just say?" he says sharply.

"I said 'Wow, you're really short,'" you answer. Your gaze is shaky, but you manage not to look away. _He's kinda scary in person._

"Don't talk to me that way."

"I can talk to you any way I want."

Levi narrows his eyes further and pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Who are you?" he asks.

"I'm (first and last name)."

"Where are you from?" he writes your answers on the piece of paper as he talks.

"I'm from (insert name of city where you live)."

Levi pauses. "That's not one of the districts."

"I know."

"Then where are you actually from?"

"(City name)."

Levi glares at you. "I'll try this one more time, and if you don't answer honestly, you'll be sorry. Now, _where are you from?_"

You sigh and fold your arms. "I told you, I'm from (city name). That's an honest answer."

Levi gives you an exasperated look. "Obviously, you've decided to be difficult. So let me explain my situation to you, _(your name)._" You shift around on the mattress, no longer able to keep up with his stare. "You popped out of thin air on the middle of the lawn two days ago-" _Two days?! I was out that long? _"-with an extremely high fever. My squad has tended to you and kept you alive, but no one knows who you are, where you've come from, why you're here, or how you came to be in this location. You're carrying strange technology, the likes of which no one has ever seen before-" he nods towards the table and the contents of your backpack- "And now you're refusing to give me answers that make logical sense. I've reported our situation to my superiors. Now, I need you to help yourself out of this mess you've gotten me, my entire squad, and yourself into!" You shiver a little. _How do I explain to him that his entire universe is fictional? He'll think I'm crazy! Then again, I think I'm going crazy too._ Your mind races as you try and formulate a response. _I did some calculations a while ago. Attack on Titan, based on the technology and calendar system, is set around 2350 in my time. If that's the case, then I've travelled 335 years into the future. I have my phone, which has quite a lot of Attack on Titan content downloaded onto it, which is good, because I obviously can't get WiFi to show them an MMD on YouTube or something. So if I just show that to him, I can explain myself…_

"Well?" Levi snaps, throwing you back into reality. "Are you willing to answer me now?" You raise your head.

"I know this is going to sound strange, Captain Levi…" You grin just a little as his eyes widen by a fraction as you say his name. "But where I come from, you- and your squad, and this whole world-" you spread your hands "-are fictional."

_Silence._

Levi looks at you, a little shocked, a lot confused, and some disgusted. He leans forward again . "Are you insane, (your name)?" he asks. _I knew it._ "No. I can prove it."

Levi snorts. "Granted, it is extremely strange- and unsettling- that you know my name. But how are you going to possibly going to prove that I don't exist? We're having a conversation right now."

"Yeah, I know. It's weird, isn't it? It's freaking me out too. But if you let me use that-" You get up, walk to the front of the cell, and point at your phone- "I can prove it to you." You look Levi in the eye again, confident this time. _I wonder how he'll react to some of that stuff,_ you think, and a small smile spreads across your face. Levi steps back. "Not a chance. How do I know it's not a weapon?" You snort.

"A weapon? Really? What am I going to do, throw it at you? It's an expensive piece of equipment, and it's also quite important to me. Not to mention that you're an excellent fighter. Also, I'm handcuffed. This is as far as I can walk, and my motion is still limited. And you can't deny that you're curious about what I have on there. So let me show you."

Levi stares, first at the phone, then at you.

"Alright. But if you try anything..." He doesn't need to finish the threat. You nod, gulping a little, as he hands you your phone. You turn it on, and you hear him inhale sharply as the screen lights up. You smile a little and you punch in your password and go to 'Videos'. _He's sorta cute_. You turn the volume up and hold out the phone for him to see. He leans closer, his head resting on your shoulder through the bars, and you press play on "Attack on Titan: Abridged- Episode 1".

You stand there for the whole 20 minutes of the video. He doesn't smile, but the corners of his mouth twitch a little at "WELL SWEET MOTHER TERESA ON THE HOOD OF A MERCEDES-BENZ. YOU SOUND LIKE A MAJESTIC ING EAGLE. DO YOU SING?!" and again at "I'M IN CHARGE OF THE GAS TANKS. _TINK TINK_." As the video comes to a close, you turn the phone off and hand it back to him.

"Proof enough for you?" you say, anxious to see his reaction. His face is pale, but his eyes are also narrowed in confusion. "Well, I don't understand bits of it. And I can't say that I believe that my whole world is fabricated. However…" he trails off the end of the sentence and places your phone back on the table. "I think you need to meet with the rest of the team."


	3. Chocolate

…..….…..….

Ok, so before this chapter starts, I want to say that I'm SO SORRY for putting it out late! I meants to upload it yesterday but, y'know, the Super Bowl and all, and my parents practically forced me to watch it (not that that's any excuse) and I didn't have access to the computer when it was over (because SOMEONE *cough* sister *cough* didn't get their schoolwork done). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Hopefully I won't be late uploading next time!

(Levi's P.O.V)

Levi walked down the stone hallway, his footsteps echoing off the walls. He shook his head as he went thinking, _Fictional? Ridiculous… The fever must have fried her brain._ He rounded the corner and began to climb the stairs. _That… veedo or whatever it was was strange… unlike anything I've ever seen before, so there's no way to judge it's truthfulness. For all I know, it could be a fake._ Levi climbed the last step and opened the door to find his entire squad crammed just outside.

"Heichou! How is she?" Petra asked nervously.

"Is she conscious?" said Armin, his eyebrows furrowed.

"How's her temperature?" Eren inquired, worried.

"Where did she come from, Captain?" said Auruo.

"Did you talk to her?"

"What's her name?"

"Is she dangerous?"

"QUIET!" Levi snapped. Squad Levi fell silent. Levi glared at them. "Her name is (y/n). She isn't a threat, but she has a bit of an attitude. And she says she's from…" Levi sighed. "It's ridiculous. She can explain it. But I wouldn't put too much trust in what she says. It's possible that the fever has driven her mad. Also, don't be alarmed if she knows your name."

"So we can see her then?" asked Sasha. "_Yes,"_ Levi answered, exasperated. "Go ahead." The entire squad pushed past Levi, cramming through the door as fast as they could. _Tch. Why are they all so concerned?_ thought Levi as he shook his head and went back to his office. _She's just some girl._

(Reader P.O.V)

You lay back on your cot and stare at the stone ceiling. _Thank god that's over._ You were glad that you didn't go into total fangirl mode when Levi rested his head against your shoulder. Now that would've been embarrassing. You exhale heavily and close your eyes. _At least it doesn't seem like Levi is going to turn me into the Military Police…_ You laugh softly and shake your head. _Arrested by fictional characters… ridiculous. _You realize that you can hear footsteps coming down the hall. Lots of people. Lifting your head, you peer out of your cell as what looks like the entirety of Squad Levi pours out of the hall.

"Uh…" you say nervously as they all stare at you, worried and expectant. You sit up. "Hi?"

"Hi," says Armin.

_Silence. _

"Well, this is awkward," mutters Auruo. Jean sniggers.

"How are you feeling, (f/n?)" asks Petra, giving you a concerned look.

"Well, my head hurts, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Good."

"So… um…" says Eren awkwardly. "Captain says you can explain to us where you're from?"

"Uh, yeah." _Here we go again._ "This is going to sound crazy, but I come from an alternate universe in which you guys- and this whole world- are fictional." Mike slowly lifts an eyebrow. Gunter does a double take. Armin's eyes get wide, Eren looks confused, Hanji looks interested and a little concerned, and Mikasa's eyes widen just a little. Erd looks casually interested but also afraid. Connie gasps, Ymir looks skeptical, Krista looks disbelieving, and Sasha is looking at your lunchbox.

"Yeah, I know. Crazy, right?" you say, arching your eyebrows and grinning crookedly.

"Absolutely," says Mikasa. "Unless you can prove it."

"Oh," you reply. "Well, that I can do." You get up off the bed and walk to the front of the cell. "Hanji, can you pass me that?" Hanji was currently examining your phone, holding it up to her eyes and flipping it over. "Huh? Oh, sure." She passes it to you through the bars. You turn it on and muffled exclamations and gasps ripple through the squad. Once again, you play "Attack on Titan: Abridged- Episode 1", but this time, you give it to Hanji to hold. _I don't particularly need to see it again._

20 minutes later, Hanji slowly sets the phone down. She looks up at you slowly, and suddenly the whole group of people is looking at you.

"Well, that does pretty much sum up our trainee days," says Jean. "Why wasn't I in it?" says Auruo. "Um, well, this is just the first half of the series summed up." you answer. "You, Petra, Erd, Mike, Gunter, Levi, Erwin, Hanji, and the expedition to build supply outposts are in the second half of the series." "Is there a sequel?" inquires Hanji. "No," you say regretfully. "I think they were going to make another one, but they ran into copyright issues." "Copyright?" asks Armin, confused. "Well, when someone releases content, like a video or a piece of writing or whatever, they can copyright it, which makes illegal for someone to take it and claim as their own work. These people in the beginning said that the video was made for entertainment purposes only and that they weren't claiming ownership and all that, but apparently something still happened."

"Must be nice to live in a world where people are rich enough to make claiming writing illegal," mutters Ymir. "Uh, I guess." You look around at your cell. "Can I be let out of this place now? Now that I've proved I'm not a threat and all?" Erd sighs, "All right," he says. He fishes a key out of his pocket and squeezes to the front of the crowd. "'S'cuse me," he mutters as he pushes in between Mikasa and Krista. He unlocks first the door and then your cuffs. "Thanks," you say gratefully, rubbing your sore wrists. "So," says Armin. "If what you're saying is true, and we are fictional, does that mean you know what's going to happen on this next mission?" You freeze and look away. "Yeah." "So can you tell us what-" Armin is interrupted by Petra's exclamation. "Sasha, don't eat that!" she cries. Startled, you look at Sasha, who has unpacked your lunch and is about to take a bite of your sandwich. "Hm?" she says, mouth still open and looking sideways at Petra. "Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you didn't eat my food," you say, raising your eyebrows. "But it smells soooo good," whines Sasha. "Come on," says Connie. "Don't eat (y/n)'s food." Now you're looking at the rest of your lunch, which includes:

-One Hersheys Milk Chocolate bar

-A turkey-and-cheese sandwich

-A full water bottle

-A bag of mini carrots

-A small box of raisins

-A few strawberries

_They've never tried chocolate! _You realize. _The climate here isn't humid enough to grow cacao! _A slow grin spreads across your face. "I'm surprised the chocolate didn't melt," you say.

"The what?" says Mike. You exit the cell and walk to the table one which is all your stuff.

"This," you say, holding it up. "It melts when it gets too hot."

"What is it?" say Hanji and Eren simultaneously.

You sigh. "The most delicious thing you've ever eaten," you say dramatically.

"Can I have it?" Sasha practically begs, foaming at the mouth.

"I'd like to share it with everyone. Honestly, I hate to part with it, seeing as this is probably the only chocolate in the whole world, but all of you should know what this tastes like." You slowly unwrap the chocolate and use the wrapper as a sort of plate on the table.

"One, two, three, four…" you say, counting all the people gathered around the table. "Twelve, including me. Does anyone here have a milk allergy?"

You ask, looking around.

"Uh, no," says Gunter.

"Okay." You break up the chocolate into roughly equal pieces. Gathering them all into one hand, you move around the crowd, distributing the chocolate to each member. When you get to Mikasa, she lifts a hand and says "None for me."

"Well, says Sasha. "If you don't it, I'll have it. It's delicious."

"Alright," says Mikasa. "Since it's apparently that good." You hand her the next piece and watch her reaction as she carefully put in in her mouth. Her eyes widen.

"This is amazing," she says, looking at the remaining pieces.

"Told you," says Sasha, smirking. You continue to hand out chocolate, watching people's reactions. Armin looks more or less in ecstasy, looking around hazily with a slack grin across his face. Eren tries to save the taste. Hanji you give it to last. She gives a shriek of delight when she eats it.

"This is amazing!" she screams. "What's it made out of? Where does it come from?" Hanji says, shaking your shoulder vigorously. "The sweetness! The texture! It's heavenly!"

"Woah, Hanji," says Jean. "It's great- Okay, it's the best thing I've ever had, but you're going to bruise her. You're flopping her back and forth like a rag doll."

"Oh," says Hanji. "I'm sorry." She releases your shoulders and back away a few steps.

"It's okay," you say, rolling your shoulders back. "It's made of cacao, which is a plant that was grown in a place called South America."

"South America?" says Armin, confused. "Where's that?" You give his a sideways grin. "The outside world," you whisper dramatically, wiggling your fingers at him. Everyone gives a little start, looking at you, shocked.

"You know about the outside world?!"Armin yelps.

"Yeah," you say. "I've spent most of my life learning about it."

"That's amazing!" says Connie. "With you here, we can learn all sorts of things about the world beyond the walls!"

"Well," you say. "I'd have to check my knowledge against any records that you have to make sure that what I know applies here. Are there any books about the outside world in the library?" Armin looks down.

"We don't know," says Eren apologetically. "The only time we've been in there is to clean. It's all dusty."

"Not a problem," you say, brushing your hands together. "Lets go check 'em out."


	4. Levi thinks y'all need to quiet down

Woohoo! Another late chapter! I'm going to have to change the summary if this happens again. Got a review saying that it was moving a bit fast, so I tried to slow this chapter down a little. Hope you enjoy!

….….….…

(Reader P.O.V.)

You quickly re-pack your lunch and shove it and the rest of your belongings into your backpack.

"Okay, I'm ready now," you say. Armin grabs your wrist and practically drags you down the hall and around the corner.

"Wabuuuuuuugh!" you yell as you stumble, trying to keep up.

"We finally get to learn about the outside world!" shouts Armin, grinning wildly. "I can't believe it!"

"Hey, wait up!" calls Jean as he starts running after you.

"I wanna learn about the outside world too!" says Connie.

"Don't forget me!" yells Eren. The rest of the group exchanges looks, shrugs, and starts sprinting down the hall after you.

"I'm coming too!"

"No way you're seeing that without me!"

"Or me!"

Armin lets go of your wrist as you reach the top of the stairs. "C'mon, the library is just through here." he says as you climb the last few steps. Armin walks over to a large set of double doors set in the wall to your right. He grips the iron knockers and pulls. _Squeeeeacch._ You clap your hands over your ears. "What was that?" you exclaim. "Oh, sorry," he says apologetically. "I forgot, the hinges are rusty." "That's alright," you reply as you let your hands fall and walk over to the doors. "I'll help." You grip one knocker with both hands and Armin moves aside to give you some space. "On the count of three, (f/n)?" Armin asks, looking at you. "Sure," you say. "One, two, three!"

On three, you both give a mighty tug. _Squeeeeeeeaccchh._ Both of you wince at the horrible sound, but keep pulling. You and Armin manage to get them all the way open just as the others arrive at the top of the stairs.

"Alright," you say as you turn to face them. "Let's get started."

(Levi's P.O.V.)

Levi sat in his office re-reading one of the more recent expedition reports. He sighed as he reached the bottom of the page where it read "Bodies recovered- 22. Troops missing in action- 35. Estimated total casualties- 60." _Damned Titans… How is it that you lumbering half-wits have managed to wreak such havoc on humanity? _Slowly standing up, Levi placed the report on his desk. _If not for you, we would still be proud and strong…_ He walked over to his office door and set his hand on the handle.

_CRASH!_

Levi blinked and narrowed his eyes. _Was that one of Hanji's experiments?_ Distant voices echoed up through the castle.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry, Armin!"

"Heh. That's okay, Krista. It just hit my arm."

_No… It's those brats downstairs. What could they possibly be doing that's making such a racket?_

"I FOUND ONE!"

"Awesome! Thanks, Eren!"

"It's that girl!" hissed Levi, his eyes widening. "What the hell-"

"Here's another one!"

"Does this count?"

"I can't understand this one, but it looks relevant." _How the hell do they manage to be so loud?_ wondered Levi and he sighed and went downstairs to see what the hell was going on.

"OW!"

"Crap! Crap crap crap crap crap! Sorry Jean!"

"Get over it. It's not like it hurt."

"Was that really necessary, Mikasa?"

"...Yes." _We need some goddamn insulation in this place._

"Can we scoot this over a little bit?"

"There's not enough room."

"Alright, lets move this then."

"_Hrng!_ Okay, nevermind."

"Oi, Bertolt! Think you can carry this over to that table?" _Shitty brats need to quiet down. I can't work with that clamor._ Levi reached the bottom of the stairs and peered around the corner before walking towards the library entrance, where Reiner and Ymir were carting armfuls of books back and forth.

"Hey. What the hell is going on?" Levi spat. "You punks need to take it down a notch. You're making so much noise that I can hear you upstairs."

Ok. Really short chapter, but I was crunched for time and really not feeling the story today. You all have my sincere apologies.

Also, for no prticular reason, check out this video. watch?v=wSnx4V_RewE


	5. The Interview and Timezones and stuff

Levi stalked over to the entrance of the library.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "I'm trying to work upstairs, and you brats are making enough noise to shake the castle down."

You, Petra, Jean, Armin, Eren, and Reiner all look up from a massive, leather-bound book that you'd been poring over.

"We're working, same as you," you said matter-of-factly. Levi's eyes narrowed.

"What work could possibly be so important that you need to engage half the Scout Regiment with it?"

"She's going to teach us about the outside world, sir," piped Armin.

"Did I ask you to speak, Arlert?" Levi spat. Armin looked down.

"Uh, no sir," he said quietly.

"And besides," said Levi, walking forward. "You come from a different universe, not the outside world. Anything you can 'teach' doesn't apply here."

"I already thought of that," you said, returning your attention to the book and absentmindedly turning the page. "I'm looking for records here so I can compare information and make sure."

Hanji and Auruo looked at Levi, shocked.

"So… you believe it then, Levi?" gasped Hanji.

"You really think that she's… from another universe?"

"That we're fictional?"

"Well," said Levi, leaning back against a bookshelf and folding his arms, "That seems to be the only explanation, unless anyone here has a better one."

The library became eerily silent. Levi turned to look at you, and so did the rest of the crowd.

"How much do you know about this world, (y/n)?" Levi asked quietly.

"What do you want to know?" you ask, standing up. "I can tell you pretty much anything."

"Fine," Levi sighed. "Close your eyes."

"Uh, okay," you said as you did as he asked.

"What is the symbol of the Scout Regiment?"

Easy. "Two wings, one blue and one white. The white one is in front."

"What is the name of the outermost wall?"

"Wall Maria."

Now Eren joined in. "Which Trainee Corps was I in?"

"The 104th."

"Color of Mikasa's scarf?"

"Red."

More people were adding to the flow of questions.

"How many people were sent on the retrieval operation?" asked Ymir.

"Um, 250,000."

"How tall is Eren's titan?" said Mike.

"15 meters."

"What color is Annie's hair?"

"Blonde."

"Is Jean gay?"

Several people burst out laughing at that one. "Hella gay," you answer, giggling.

"Hey!" says Jean indignantly. "Who said that?"

"Sasha did," sniggered Connie. Jean scowled and advanced toward Sasha.

"Why would you say that?" he yelled, raising his fist.

"That's enough." said Levi coldly, glowering at Jean. "Starting a fight like that in front of a captain is disgusting and irresponsible."

Jean backed away and lowered his hand, unclenching it. "I'm sorry, Corporal Levi."

"Damn right you are," agreed Levi. He turned back towards you. "What exactly do you mean by 'fictional', (y/n)?"

"I guess what I mean is, um, you guys are all characters in a manga-slash-anime series called Attack on Titan."

You could tell that your answer left the entire room confused. For starters, they have no idea what an anime or a manga is.

"Er, what are animes and mangas?" asked Petra. Crap. I'm going to have to explain the whole concept of television. This is going to take a while…

"I can explain, but it might be really confusing and it'll probably take a long time. So, um, Squad Leaders-" you paused and glanced at Hanji, Mike, and Levi- "If you have any more urgent documents to write or reports to read or anything, we might want to save this discussion for later."

Levi sighed and closed his eyes.

"The reports can wait." Hanji and Mike both nodded. "This talk is more important. However," Levi said, opening his eyes again, "While you stay here, you'll address me as "sir" or "corporal". Understood?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir," you said, a little bit exasperated. Technically, I'm not under his command. Why should I have to use formalities?

"Start talking, brat."

"Okay." You took a deep breath. "An anime is- Actually, lets start with television. No, electricity. Wait- atoms and electrons? Hang on a sec. Let me gather my thoughts."

(Time lapse brought to you by Mikasa's scarf ~)

-Narration-

In the end, the explanation of the fictional world of Attack on Titan took up a great deal of time. The discussion of electricity and television lasted nearly two hours, and the concept of manga continued for nearly another 90 minutes. You refrained from mentioning Japan, however, as that would only further complicate things. Besides, you wanted to save the whole "geography of the outside world" thing later, when people weren't bored, confused, and hungry. Levi took notes the whole time with the same quill and notepad he had used while interrogating you in the cell.

-Back to Reader P.O.V.-

Does he carry that thing around with him all the time? You wondered as you watched Levi's retreating figure as he left the library. Taking notes on everything I say… You'd think Hanji'd be the one doing that. You sighed as you checked your watch. "8:49 p.m.", it reads. Crap! I don't know if this is accurate anymore. Timezone change? How the hell didn't it break when I came through? You'd think that it would've melted or something... You fiddled with the strap, thinking. Attack on Titan is set somewhere in Europe, near Germany, right? Germany is (x) hours (ahead/behind current location), so that'd be… You twisted the knob on the side and watched as the minute and hour hands swiredl around. Done. It should be more accurate now. Looking out the window, you inhale and exhale slowly, taking deep breaths each time. The others had left the library a while ago to go to dinner and had invited you along, but you'd declined, saying 'I have my own food. Besides, there are some things I need to think about.' Blinking slowly at the rising moon, you slowly stretch your arms above your head. I hardly got to tell them anything about the outside world… Shame. I guess that can wait until tomorrow, though. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the wooden chair you were sitting in. I should probably clean up this mess… There are books everywhere. You opened your eyes and got up slowly. One by one, you sorted the books into three piles: 'Relevant', 'Possible relevant', and 'Not relevant'. 'Not relevant' you put back into the shelves. The library was neatly organized by topic and author's last name, so it was pretty easy to find where a book was supposed to go. The "Possibly relevant' and 'Relevant' piles you stacked on top of the table, side by side in towers of four. That should be good enough. You brushed your hands together and began walking towards the double oak doors that marked the exit of the library. I should really be getting to bed. You took a few steps, when suddenly you realized- I don't know where I'm supposed to sleep! Do I go back into the cellar? I should probably check with Levi- Corporal Levi. You exited the library and poked your head around the hall corner to your right. I don't know where his office is, but it's probably on the upper floor somewhere. You saw a stairwell leading upwards down a hall far to your left, so you started towards that, when you realized that you can hear voices coming from the hall straight ahead. You paused and tilted your head, listening as hard as you could. Even so, you could only hear short snatches of the conversation.

"-Report to central government-"

"Arrest her..?"

"Urgent situation-"

"Levi, I cannot allow this..."

"Military Police?"

"Mental institution-... interior…"

"But, Corporal-!"

They're talking about what to do with me! Dread flooded you as you understood just what they were discussing. That sounds like almost everyone talking, you decided. Levi's in there as well. I guess I'll just have to walk in there and ask him. You start off down the hall.

Creeeeak.

"Huh?" people exclaimed as you slowly pushed open the door into the dining hall.

"Er, pardon the intrusion," you said. "But where will I be sleeping in this facility?" Levi, who was seated at the head of the table, pushed back his chair.

"You can have the room on the upper floor. Right hall, five doors down. Eren, you show her."

"Y-yes sir!" stammered Eren as he stood up.

"Oh," Levi added. "If any of you filthy punks tries to touch her, I'll slap your ass from here to Shinganshina District. Got that?"

"Yes, sir!" came the affirmative from all around the table. Eren pushed in his chair and took you by the forearm.

"Come one, (f/n)," he says. "I'll show you to your room."


	6. Protagonists and Sleeping In

You shot Mikasa an apologetic look as Eren took you by the arm and pulled you out the door. _ She can't be too happy that he gets to take me to my bedroom… At night… Alone…_ You blushed as you saw that Mikasa was giving you a death glare just as you and Eren rounded the corner and closed the door.

"So," Eren said as you walked up the steps. "We're fictional?"

"Yeah."

"That's completely nuts, but after you showed us that thing on your- what was it called?"

"My phone."

"Yeah, that thing, and also how you knew so much about us without us ever telling you anything… You've convinced me."

"Really?" you said, turning to look at him.

"Mm-hmm," he said, looking down. The torches cast deep, dancing shadows across the staircase as he walked.

"Wow," you said quietly. "I didn't really expect anyone to believe me, but… Thanks."

"Don't mention it," replied Eren. "It's just… It's really weird, y'know? Having someone know everything about you like that… Being able to see your future and knowing that it won't affect them… It scared the shit out of a lot of us." By "us", you assumed that he meant the other Survey Corps members that were living here.

"Who said that about seeing the future'?" you asked.

"Armin," answered Eren. "We were talking over dinner. He hypothesized that if we were fictional, and if you had seen all of the content of our story, then there is a high chance that you know what happens further along the plotline, seeing as it's relatively unlikely that right now is where the story ends."

"Oh," you said. You and Eren continued walking for a while in silence. As you neared the upper floor, you looked at Eren and said "Armin's quite smart, isn't he?" Eren laughed quietly and smiled.

"Yeah. Much more intelligent than I am, for sure. I'm not sure he's smarter than Mikasa though."

"Hey!" you exclaimed softly. "Don't be mean." You elbowed him lightly.

"What?" said Eren, looking at you. "She graduated best out of all the cadets, and got top grades in every subject. Although-" Eren pauses- "Now that I think about it, she and Armin got the same score in classroom studies."

"Hmm," you said by way of response. You and Eren ascended the final steps and turned down the right hall. You noticed that Eren was fidgeting uncomfortably as you neared the designated entrance to your new room.

"What is it, Eren?" you asked. Your face was concerned, but inside you were cracking up. _God, I hope he can't tell what I'm thinking right now._ A mental image of yourself with Jean's face photoshopped onto it made the corners of your mouth twitch, but luckily you had enough self control to avoid start laughing out loud. Eren set his hand on the wooden knob of the door.

"Well, I'm really in a story, who's the protagonist?"

"You."

"What?" said Eren, startled. "_Me_?"

"Yeah."

Eren's wide eyes got even wider, and he looked down.

"I'm… Wow."

"Hey," you said, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling a little. Eren's head shot up as he jolted back to reality. "It'll be okay."

"It's just…" said Eren awkwardly as he opened the door to your room. "I don't know if I can handle that responsibility."

"Aw, cheer up, Eren," you said as you entered your room. "That means you can't die until the story ends."

Eren's looked rather shocked.

"I guess you're right," he said finally. "Oh, and Captain said that you'd need to wake up early tomorrow. Something about 'earning your keep'. Goodnight, (f/n)."

"'Night, Eren." The door creaked shut as Eren left the hallway. A sudden, powerful wave of fatigue washed over you as you dropped your backpack on the floor. _I guess I didn't realize how tired I was until now._ You had some basic toiletries in your backpack, but you were too tired to use them as you looked at the bed, all fluffed up with freshly washed sheets and what seemed like real bird feathers in the comforter. _Sleeeeeeeeeep,_ you thought as you took off your shoes. Feeling as if you were walking through molasses, you advanced lethargically towards the bed. You fell face-first on the pillow with a soft _whump_ and a _creeeak_ as the bedframe shifted.

And without even bothering to change clothes or pull up the blanket, you fell promptly asleep.

(Time lapse brought to you by Mikasa's scarf ~)

(Levi's P.O.V.)

The Survey Corps captain leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He was standing at the same staircase you and Eren had walked up last night, waiting for you to come downstairs. Glancing up towards the landing, he saw that you _still_ weren't there.

"Tch," he muttered to himself. "I told Eren to let her know to wake up early… Did he forget? That's not like him. She's probably just overslept." Levi knew that Eren was as diligent as possible in his duties under the captain (even if he wasn't that good at cleaning), so the second possibility was the most likely. Levi flicked his gaze once more at the staircase.

The landing exhibited a profound lack of movement.

_It's not like I can just go up there and wake her up. The right hallway is the girls side. Why was Eren picked show her there? _A passing Ymir caught the corner of his eye.

"Oi, Ymir," he said, turning his head just before she disappeared into the next hall.

"Yes, Captain?" she answered apathetically, glancing over her shoulder.

"Go wake up sleepybrains," Levi said, jabbing his thumb at the staircase.

"Yes, sir," responded Ymir.

_Finally,_ thought Levi to himself as he uncrossed his arms as left the staircase entry. _ Now I can get on with cleaning. That brat'll help too, when Ymir gets her up._

(Reader P.O.V.)

"Oi, (y/n)." Someone was calling you.

"Go awayyyy," you whined, pulling yourself into a ball. "I'm tryna sleeeeep."

"(Y/n), get up." Now they were sitting on your bed with a _creeeeeak_ and shaking your shoulders.

"Hrrrrrrrrrng…"

The someone sighed as they got up with another protest of the bedframe. _Why'd they have to wake me up…? I was having such a good dream…_ You almost slipped back into sleep just as a wash of water cascaded across your upper body. It sloshed into your mouth and ears, and filled your nostrils.

"Pttthhhs!" You sat up straight as spat out the water. Your hair was soaked and dripping all over the pillows, as was your shirt.

"What was that for?!" you complained loudly as you blinked droplets out of your eyes and wiped water off of your cheeks. "I was almost up!"

"Sure you were," said Ymir, who was sitting on your bed again, looking at you with stoic eyes. "I'm sure that's why you were trying to fall asleep again." You groaned as you wrang water out of your hair and squeezed at the hem of your shirt.

"What time is it?"

"Time to start cleaning. Get changed-" said Ymir, throwing a white, collared button-down shirt on a dry patch of your bed. "- And wash up. We're all waiting for you downstairs, and Levi's pissed because you're late. If you're going to stay with us, you've got to chip in and help out. Wouldn't you agree?" Ymir stood and put her hand on the doorknob.

"Uh…" you said, scratching your head. "Yeah…? I- sure…"

"Good," said Ymir, smirking at you over her shoulder as she left the room. "We'll all be waiting for you."


	7. Cleaning Dance Party

(Reader P.O.V.)

You sat upright on the bed, still dripping wet and listening to Ymir's retreating footsteps. _I should get dressed… _You thought. But you still didn't budge. A drop of water dripped from your eyelashes and fell into your palm. _They're gonna get mad at me if I don't help… Captain especially…_ You blinked slowly. _Levi in cleaning clothes?_ That got you motivated. You got off the bed, peeled off your soaked tee, and dried yourself off with the blanket. Pulling the borrowed shirt over your head, you noticed that it was a bit tight, especially around the chest and shoulders. _How embarrassing. But it's either this or the wet one. I wonder if this is Ymir's, or did she borrow it from someone?_ You toweled your hair with the last dry patch on the bed. _It's still wet, but at least it won't drip. _You walked over to your backpack and pulled out your toiletries bag, selected a come, and began to pull it through your hair. The brushing took a few minutes, but soon the tangles were gone and you were putting on your shoes.

Tying the last knot, you straightened up, slipped your phone into your pocket, opened the door, and walked downstairs.

(Levi's P.O.V.)

Levi shrugged off his Recon Corps jacket and put in on the back on his chair. Rolling up his sleeves to the elbows, he realized that he could hear slow footsteps padding down the stairs. _Finally, she's up._ Walking into the hall, Levi turned around the corner and saw you standing at the foot of the steps wearing a too-tight shirt that was slightly damp from her still-wet hair, rubbing her temple.

"Oh," you said, noticing Levi. "Good morning, Captain." You stretched her arms behind your head, yawning. It looked rather uncomfortable, seeing as the shirt was pulled tight around the armpits and sternum. Levi scowled.

"Ymir woke you up, then?" he asked, walking over to you.

"Yeah,"you answered, giving him a sideways look. "_By dumping a bucket of water on my face."_ Levi sighed.

"Is the bed wet?"

"Yeah."

"I'll send someone to change the sheets and comforter later."

"Thanks."

"I'm not doing it for you."

"Uh-" you gave him another sideways look. "Okay, then." You rolled her shoulders back a few times. "So where'll I be cleaning?"

"You'll be doing the entrance hall, with Sasha." Levi grabbed a broom and a stick with a rag on the end that were laying against the wall. "Take these," he said, thrusting them in your face. Blinking, you reared back a little as the broom handle stopped just short of your nose. "'Kay." You took the rag and broom as Levi tramped behind the next corner.

(Reader P.O.V.)

Standing at the foot of the stairs, you looked around for Sasha. A _splosh_ sound came from somewhere to your left, along with a voice that sounded like Sasha's saying "Oh, crap." _There she is._ You walked down the hall and poked your head around the stone wall.

"Sasha?" She turned around quickly.

"Oh, hey, (y/n)," she said, smiling at you. A wooden bucket of soapy water was on the floor next to her. Apparently she'd spilled it, because there were suds all across her boots and water was trickling across the floor in long, snaky lines. "We'll be cleaning the entry together, then?"

"Yeah, that's what Levi said," you replied. "Have you got a mop for that?"

"Oh, yeah," Sasha answered, plucking a mop from behind the wall.

"Okay." You walked forward and looked around the hall. It was big, but not so big that it would take too long to clean with the two of you working together.

"So, um… You do the windows and I'll clean up this?" Sasha asked, gesturing at the soapy puddle on the floor.

"Sure. Do you mind if I play some music while we clean?" you inquired, walking towards a large table in the center of the hall.

"What?" she said, confused.

"Oh," you replied. "I like to play music when I do chores. It make them more fun."

"But how are you going to play an instrument and clean at the same time?" Sasha said, looking lost.

"Sorry, I should've explained myself," you answered, laughing a little. You pulled out your phone and turned it on. "Remember this?" Sasha nodded. "It has lots of music on it that it can play while we're cleaning. It's sort of like having files, except with sounds instead of paper, and they're all stored on here." You waved your phone around a little.

"Oh," Sasha said, her expression clearing. "I get it now. Go ahead." You entered your passcode, went to music, selected your "Cleaning" playlist, turned the volume up all the way, and pressed "play"."

_Doh,_ went the phone.

"Oh, god," you said, knowing what was coming. _Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh._ "Not again." You took the rag and an extra bucket of water lying next to the doors and walked over to the nearest window. _Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh. _The guitar started up.

"What's wrong with this song?" asked Sasha.

"Oh, nothing," you replied, smiling. "It's just that this is possibly the eighty-ninth time I've heard it, and that it's awesome." You dipped the rag into the water and wiped the dust and fingerprints off the window. _Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh._ "Here it goes," you muttered. _Doh doh doh, doh doh, doh, doh-_ "THIS HIT, THAT ICE COLD, MICHELLE PFEIFFER, THAT WHITE GOLD," you sang, scrubbing the window in time with the drums. "THIS ONE FOR THEM HOOD GIRLS, THEM GOOD GIRLS, STRAIGHT MASTERPIECES." You turned to dip the rag into the water again, and saw that Sasha was also mopping the floor while dancing. "STYLIN', WHILIN', LIVIN' IT UP IN THE CITY." You moved onto the next window. "GOT CHUCKS ON WITH SAINT LAURENT, GOTTA KISS MYSELF, I'M SO PRETTY." You brought your finger down to your lips and kissed it. "I'M TOO HOT, HOT DAMN." Sasha was pushing the mop across the floor in pace with the beat. "CALLED THE POLICE AND A FIREMAN. TOO HOT, HOT DAMN." You took the rag and held it like a microphone. "MAKE A DRAGON WANNA RETIRE, MAN."

Mikasa walked into the hall through a side door.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You're not done cleaning, are you?"

"Nope!" Sasha called over "TOO HOT, HOT DAMN." "We could use some help, though, if you are!"

"I guess so," said Mikasa. "Petra and I just finished." Petra poked her head around the door behind Mikasa. "SAY MY NAME, YOU KNOW WHO I AM!" You whirled around, still lip-syncing into the rag as you pointed your finger and moved it from left to right. Petra giggled as she saw your weird dance moves.

"(Y/n), what are you doing?" she asked, laughing.

"I'm dancing," you said playfully. "While cleaning." You turned around again and gave the window one final enthusiastic _swipe_ before moving on to the next. "TOO HOT, HOT DAMN."

"Do you always do this when you clean?" said Petra as she picked up her rag and bucket and strode over to the next row of windows.

"Every time," you answered, dipping your rag into the bucket again. "AM I BAD 'BOUT THAT MONEY. BREAK IT DOWN…"

"Mikasa, can you sweep that corner over there?" asked Sasha. "Okay." "GIRLS, HIT YOUR HALLELUJAH. WHOO!" Petra started swaying side to side in time with the music. "GIRLS, HIT YOUR HALLELUJAH. WHOO!" Mikasa started dancing as well, albeit in a reserved manner. "GIRLS, HIT YOUR HALLELUJAH. WHOO!" Now Auruo and Jean were looking inside as well.

"Oi, Sasha, (y/n)!" Auruo called, looking disdainful . "What is going on here?"

"We're dancing, Auruo!" answered Petra, swinging her hips in time with the music.

"You should join us if you're done!" yelled Sasha. "'COS UPTOWN FUNK GON' GIVE IT TO YA." Jean grabbed his broom and began sweeping the center of the floor. "'COS UPTOWN FUNK GON' GIVE IT TO YA." You laughed so hard you almost fell over at Jean's failed attempts to clean effectively while dancing and looking good in front of Mikasa, who was completely ignoring him. Auruo began to absentmindedly tap his foot to the beat as he leaned against the wall. "'COS UPTOWN FUNK GON' GIVE IT TO YA." _He really is a clumsy as a horse,_ you thought as Jean tripped over his own broom. Dipping your rag in the water again, you moved on to the final window. "SATURDAY NIGHT AND WE IN THE SPOT- DON'T BELIEVE ME? JUST WATCH!" you whooped as everyone but Mikasa and Auruo began to full out dance. Hanji and Armin walked in next, and so on and so forth, until nearly everyone in the castle was cleaning and dancing at the same time. Even Mike and Ymir joined in. _I'm pretty sure Ymir's only here so she can dance with Krista and not have it look suspicious._ You finished the last window and dropped your rag as you began to dance. Mikasa was forcefully steering Eren around as her dance partner. As he whirled past you, he shot you a look over his shoulder like _Help me._ You giggled uncontrollably as he tripped over a table leg and fell flat on his back, though you knew you shouldn't have. _Mikasa helped him up, though._ Looking around some more, you saw that Armin was dancing awkwardly by himself. Grinning, you began to walk over to him, but suddenly Erd grabbed you by the torso and lifted you up.

"Eeeeeeeeek!" you shrieked as he slung you over his shoulder and began to spin around. You started laughing out loud and kicking your legs, calling "Put me down! Put me down!" but he just chuckled and began to spin faster. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" you cried as the world blurred around you. "Erd, I'm gonna get dizzy! I'm serious, put me down, please!" you said still laughing.

"Alright!" he laughed as he lifted you up and set you down. "Just don't kick me, okay? You're gonna leave a bruise."

"Sorry," you grinned as your ran your fingers through your hair, trying to untangle it.

Just then, the song ended abruptly as Levi pushed the pause button. _Huh? When did he get here? _you thought, surprised.

"What," Levi called as the dancing halted. "Are you doing?"

"Uh…" Petra spoke up shyly. "We were dancing, sir." Levi cast a menacing look around the room.

"Get back to work," he snapped. "The kitchen is far from clean, as are the bathrooms." You saw Jean and Auruo facepalm to your right. " And you," he said, rotating to face you. "We're going to talk." _What trouble could I possibly get in for this?_ you wondered as a murmur of "Yes, sir," and "Yes, Captain," ripples through the departing soldiers.


	8. The Talk

(Reader P.O.V.)

Levi gestured for you to follow him as he left through yet another side door.

"Erm, I'm not in trouble, am I, sir?" you asked uncomfortably as you entered a small side room containing only a few chairs and a table.

"Is that what you thought?" said Levi, closing the door. "If you were in trouble, I would've disciplined you then and there." _Sure you would,_ you thought. _Like you can actually punish me. I'm not under your command!_

"You're thinking that I don't have the authority to do that," continued Levi, now pouring tea. _Where did that come from?_ you wondered _And how does he know what I'm thinking?_ "But I've contacted Erwin, and he agrees that you should be placed in temporary custody of the Scout Regiment until further notice. Which means that I've been invested with full authority over your actions from here on out." Levi sat down pushed the cup of tea towards you.

"As a matter of fact, Erwin is visiting here in two days, to get a "hands-on" grasp of the situation."

You leaned forward slightly. "And what'll happen after that?"

"Well," said Levi, sipping his tea. "It depends. But it's likely that the royal government will get involved, and if that happens, then after gleaning any useful information out of you, they'll destroy your belongings and put you in either a cell, an insane asylum, or a foster home."

Levi put his tea down and lifted his gaze until you made eye contact. "I suppose they could execute you, too, if they decide you're a threat." You raised an eyebrow.

"If I get arrested, do I get a citizenship too?" you said wryly. Levi paused.

"Probably," he said after a little while. "But I wouldn't count on it. They'll probably pass you off as a nobody from the Underground, so they can chain you up without having to bother signing paperwork. On what charges, I don't know. But the royal government has become more and more uptight lately, what with the, ah-" Levi gestured vaguely towards the door before taking another sip of his tea. "New developments." _I guess he means Eren's Titan-shifting ability._

"Oh, and if they do decide to arrest you, custody will be transferred from us to the Military Police-" You cautiously took a sip of your tea. It was slightly sweet, but also earthy. _Black tea._ "-Incompetent wussies," Levi muttered so quietly you could barely hear him. You chuckled a little before taking another sip of your tea and looking up.

"What?" demanded Levi as he saw you laughing.

"Oh, nothing," you said, still smiling. "The fanbase shares your opinion, sir." Levi set his tea down.

"Fanbase?" he asked, frowning.

"You didn't think I was the only fan, did you?" You sat up straight again. "There's probably millions of fans of Attack on Titan around the world. And I'm sure they agree with you." You took another drink of the tea.

"Hm," said Levi. There was an awkward silence.

"Sir, the reason you wanted to talk to me was because Erwin was coming, right?"

"Yes, and also because there are some things I need to find out regarding your knowledge before he arrives."

"Oh. Okay." Levi drank the last of his tea and sat back in his chair, slinging his arm over the back of it.

"Did anyone let you know about Armin's hypothesis at dinner last night?" inquired Levi.

"Yeah, Eren told me."

"Armin suggested that you might know what happens on this next mission of ours, which is in ten days." Levi leaned closer again. "I need to know if this is true, and to what extent."

"Um…" you shifted around awkwardly in your seat. "I know that it's a test run for taking Eren to Shiganshina, and I know what the second objective is, I know who dies, I know whether it succeeds or not… I think that's all I can tell you, sir." He looked at you, not saying a word.

"That's not all you remember, is it?"

"No, Corporal." There was a long pause. You could almost see the gears turning in Levi's brain.

"Alright," he said finally. "You're free to go." _That was surprisingly short._ You nodded and pushed in your chair as you walked over to the door and set your hand on the handle. Just as you were closing the door behind you, you noticed that Levi was staring silently at you, not blinking.

"Um…" you said awkwardly. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, fine,"answered Levi, still looking at you oddly.

"Well… Alright then," you said as you shut the door behind you. _What was that about?_ You wondered as you headed to go help Sasha finish up.


	9. The Game

When you came out of the room, you saw that Sasha had already finished the whole floor.

"Wow," you said, walking towards the window where you had left off cleaning. "You got that finished fast."

"Petra and Mikasa stayed to help for a bit," Sasha answered, shrugging. She pulled out her rag from her back pocket and started wiping down the table. You started washing the windows again, humming Uptown Funk softly to yourself.

About 20 minutes later, you and Sasha were completely finished with cleaning the entry hall.

"Whew!" Sasha exclaimed, wiping her brow with her sleeve. "Nice job, (y/n)."

"Meh," you shrugged, leaning back against the wall. "It's only a nice job if Captain agrees, right?" you chuckled. "Speaking of which, is he still in there? I didn't see another door leading out…" You walked over to the door to the room where you and Levi had talked.

"Uh… Corporal?" you asked, opening the door and poking your head inside. Levi was still sitting at the table, leaning forward with his chin folded hands.

"What?" said Levi, looking up at you with hooded eyes.

"I just wanted to know if you were going to stay in there…?" you said awkwardly. Levi sighed and got up.

"It's not your business," he said, scowling at you as he left. _Why is he looking at me like that?_ You closed the door behind you as you exited the room as well.

"Not bad," you heard him say. "This might be the first time you've got the job done right on the first try." You turned around.

"Thank you, sir!" replied Sasha enthusiastically. Levi turned down the hall and disappeared.

"So…" you said, walking over to Sasha. "Now what?"

"Well," said Sasha,crossing her arms. "Now that we've finished cleaning, we can go help the others, and once that's done, we have free time until lunch, which is in-" Sasha looked out the window to check the sun's position. "I'd say about three hours."

"That's nice," you said appreciatively, leaning against the wall. "I'm not used to having that much spare time."

"Really?" asked Sasha curiously, turning her head to look at you. "What were you doing all day?"

"School, mostly," you answered. "Homework. Extracurriculars. Chores. That sort of thing."

"What's an extra-curr-curricular?" said Sasha, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

"You know, things that you do outside of school. Like sports or music or whatever."

"Sports?"

"You guys don't have sports?!" you exclaimed. "You guys don't have football* or baseball or bowling or rugby or cricket or volleyball or ping-pong or tennis or basketball or badminton or bocce ball or foosball or flag football or futsal or golf or lacrosse or water polo or _anything?_"

"Well, we have games, like 'Kick-the-Can' and stuff," said Sasha unhappily, "But those are seen as kind of childish. The only physical exercise we really do are workouts."

"Unacceptable." you declared. "I am going to teach you all the sports I know." You pointed at Sasha. "You gather everyone that's done with their chores. I'm going to get supplies," you commanded. "It's time for _action!"_

(Time lapse brought to you by Mikasa's scarf ~)

You stood in the sun by the goalpost, rolling a ball under your foot. You had found it in an empty storage room near the south end of the castle. It was still pretty well inflated, which was extremely fortunate. _No use in playing football* with a deflated ball,_ you thought. Nearly everyone was gathered on the field, except for Levi and Gunter.

"Listen up, nuggets!" you called. You rolled the ball onto the top of your foot and kicked it into your hands. "Today, you're gonna learn how to play football*!"

"What the hell is 'football'?" asked Connie, leaning over to Ymir.

"Don't ask me," she said. "It sounds stupid."

"I heard that!" you yelled across the field. Jean sniggered. "Okay, everyone, gather round!" Slowly, everyone gathered into a huddle on the center of the field.

"Alright," you said. "Here are the rules. There are usually eleven players on each team, but since we don't have that many, we'll just play five on five with three substitutes. There are four positions of players on the field- Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders, and Offenders." You paused, looking around at the audience. "You following?"

"Yeah," came the murmur of assent. "Four kinds of players, five on five with three subs, we got it."

"Good." You took a deep breath as you felt the excitement build inside you. "Now, the Offender's job is to score points. You score by kicking the ball into the other side's goal. You can only use your feet to move the ball. When this happens, the team that scored gets one point. The game ends after around eighty minutes, and whichever team has the most points when the time runs out wins. The Goalkeeper's objective is to stop the Offenders from getting the ball into the goal. The goalkeepers are the only players that get to use their hands in the game."

"Aw, no fair!" complained Connie. "We can only use our feet, but the goalkeeper doesn't have to? What sort of a rule is that?"

You gave him a sideways look. "A justified one. In professional football*, the Offenders kick the ball so fast that the goalkeepers _have _to use their hands to stop the ball."

"Told you this was dumb," muttered Ymir.

"I thought you said it was stupid," said Connie, confused.

"Ugh," she grumbled.

"Whatever. Look, the Defender's job is to kind of slow the Offenders down and make it harder for them to get close to the goal, and the Midfielder is like a joint Defender-slash-Offender." You paused again. "Got all that?"

"Yep."

"Alright. So, are there any positions people want to play?"

"I'll be Offender!" said Jean and Eren simultaneously. They both glared at each other.

"_I'm_ the Offender!"

"No, I said it first!"

"Are you kidding? I said it way before you!"

"Gentlemen," you said, smirking. "There are two teams. Jean will be Offender for Team A, and Eren can be Offender for Team B." They both looked away from the other, clearly still upset.

"Fine," said Eren through gritted teeth.

"Whatever," Jean said, scowling.

"Great. So, anyone want to be Goalie?"

"I'll be Goalie for A," said Sasha.

"Then I'll be Goalkeeper for Team B,", said Reiner.

"Anyone want to be a sub? You'll be the players that come in for others when they're tired. You'll play for both teams."

"Er, I'll be a sub," said Armin, raising his hand.

"So will I," agreed Krista nervously. "This doesn't really seem like my type of thing."

"If Krista's staying out, so am I," said Ymir.

"Okay. Those are our three subs. Now all that's left are Midfielders and Defenders.

"I call Midfielder," said Auruo.

"Team A," you said, pointing to him.

"I'll be a Midfielder too," said Bertolt.

"Team B," you replied, turning to point at him. "Would anyone like to be Defense? We still need one more Offender for each team, so if you don't want to be one, that's fine."

"I'll defend for Team B," called Mikasa.

"Great. Anyon-"

"What?" cried Jean. "Any team that has Mikasa on it will win! That's completely unfair! She's too good!"

"You'll definitely lose with that soft spot you have for her," you hissed, rounding on him.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" stammered Jean, blushing and taking a few steps back. "'Soft spot'? I d-don't know what you're saying!"

"Suck it up, Horse-face," you said intimidatingly, leaning close and narrowing your eyes at him. You heard Eren and Connie start laughing behind you.

"Ha! That's a good one!" sniggered Connie.

Eren grinned. "That explains why he's always so clumsy! 'Cause he's got two left feet!"

"Eren, stop that," said Mikasa. "Let's just get on with dividing teams. I'm sure Jean will do his best." She looked over at Jean, who was rubbing the back on his neck awkwardly. "Isn't that right, Jean?"

"Uh, y-yeah…"

"Good. Now that _that's_ settled, does anyone want to defend for Team A?" You asked.

"I will," replied Erd.

"That leaves Connie and Petra for offense. How about Petra on Team A and Connie on Team B?"

"I'm game," said Connie.

"Sounds good to me," replied Petra.

"Sweet. I'll go into a little more definition of the rules, and then the games can _really_ begin!"

(Another time lapse brought to you by Mikasa's scarf ~~)

"GOOOOOOOOOAL!" yelled Jean as the ball sank into the net. He whirled around and pointed at Eren. "Take that, Jeager-boy! Whose the clumsy one now?"

Eren grinned. "Still you!" he called. "All you managed to do was even the score!" You stood off to the side of the field, which had been marked out with rocks and old sticks. It was unanimous that you would be the referee, seeing as you were the only one with any real knowledge of the rules.

"Seven minutes left!" you called, glancing at your watch. Erd and Auruo were sitting on the sub bench with Ymir. It looked like they were in serious conversation. Armin was now the defense for Team A, and Krista was playing midfield.

"Just you wait!" Jean hollered. "We'll win this thing!"

"You'll have to get past us first!" yelled Reiner.

"We just did!"

"Let's see if you can do it again!"

"The score's two-two, idiot"!

"Who're you calling idiot?"

"You, stupid!"

"Don't say that to me!"

Jean stormed over to Reiner and pushed him into the goalpost. "I'll say what I want!"

"FOUL!" you cried. "Pushing or shoving another player is not allowed! Free kick for Team B!"

"Connie, you want to take it?" asked Eren

"You can do it, Eren," answered Connie.

"Okay." Eren dribbled the ball to the spot where Reiner had been pushed.

"Wait," you said to him. You turned towards Reiner, who was rubbing his back and wincing. "Are you okay?" you asked, worried.

"Yeah," Reiner grunted. "I'm fine." He gestured towards the goalpost. "These supports are hard as rock, though."

"Okay. Glad you're not hurt." You turned toward Eren, who was waiting behind you. "Go ahead," you said. You watched as Reiner and the other member of Team B get into position. "Resume play!" you called. Eren nodded and took a deep breath as you jogged back to give him room. You watched as Eren took a few steps back, and then-

_**WHOOSH.**_ The ball flew through the air and soared across the field. It landed just past the half mark and bounced for a bit until it was capped by Bertolt, who then passed it to Connie as Petra's foot missed it by what seemed like a hair's breadth. Connie dribbled the ball further and further into Team A territory. As he tried to pass it to Eren, Krista came out of nowhere and blocked it with her foot. She grinned devilishly at Connie as she gave the ball a massive kick towards Petra, who danced out of the way of a sloppy kick from Eren. _Four minutes left_, you thought, checking your watch again. Petra dribbled the ball deeper into B zone and passed it to Jean. They continued passing the ball back and forth, just barely avoiding the attacks from Mikasa and Bertolt. Eventually, Mikasa swiped the ball away from Jean. _One minute_. Mikasa kicked the ball so hard it flew all the way to the other end of the field. Eren sprinted towards it, but before he could get there, Connie rushed in and kicked it _and it flew towards Armin who jumped and put his hands up to block it_ _**but it only hit his left thumb and pointer finger. **__Five seconds. __**Armin made a desperate flail towards the ball, anything to keep it from hitting the net-**_ _Four. __**But again he barely made contact- **__Three. __**In a last-ditch effort to prevent Team B scoring and winning the game, Armin shoved outwards with his right palm- **__Two. __**The ball was just out of reach-**_ _One. __**Armin squeezed his eyes shut and froze, awaiting the inevitable. He felt the ball whisk the hair near his right ear and then-**_

_Zero._

"And Team B wins the game!" you crowed.

"Alright! We won!" People high-fived each other and congratulated them on a good game. Eren helped Armin up and gave him a fist bump. Even Ymir got off the bench to applaud Krista. _We'll probably have to bathe later,_ you thought. _Everyone's sweaty and gross._

*= Soccer for all my American readers


	10. Bath Day (no running water woot woot)

"Hey," you said, walking over to Connie. "Nice job out there."

"Thanks," he said, grinning. "You're a good referee." You smiled at him back.

"Hey, (y/n)!" called Petra, running over to you. You turned around. "Can we take a bath? Captain won't want us stinking up the castle, especially just after it's been cleaned," she panted.

"Sure!" you said. "I was just thinking about that, actually. You guys must be a little out of breath."

"Yeah," Petra agreed. Her face was flushed. She turned around and clapped her hands. "Everyone, we're going to take baths now. Mikasa, Ymir, Bertolt, Reiner, can you guys prepare the tubs? Girls in the studio, boys in the unused room like normal."

Suddenly, a thought struck you. "Do you guys have running water?" You asked Petra.

"Running water… Like taps and plumbing?" She asked. You nodded. "That's only for the rich members of society. You know, the aristocrats who live in Wall Sina."

"Oh," you said. "So you guys don't have hot water?" You could feel your heart sink a little. You'd been looking forward to a hot shower.

Petra laughed a little. "We heat the water with fires. We have soap too, so don't worry."

"Phew," you sighed. "That's a relief."

"Wait…" said Petra suspiciously. "You act like running water is a normal thing for you."

"Not for everyone," you said, shrugging your shoulders. "Unless you live in poverty, nearly everyone who lives in a first or second-world country has running water. Lower middle class to high-class members have access to that like, ninety-nine-point-nine-nine-nine percent of the time."

"Coun-tries…?" said Petra. "Do you mean counties?"

"No," you replied, shaking your head. "I mean like other nations. Other groups of people living in an area defined by political and geographic borders. I guess you wouldn't have heard the term before, though."

"Oh well," Petra sighed. "I'm sure I'll find out the answers eventually. For now, let's get to bathing." You nodded and walked with Petra back to the castle, followed by the rest of the cadets and veterans.

(Time lapse brought to you by Mikasa's scarf ~)

"(Y/n), you ready yet?" called Petra. You stood behind a curtain with a towel wrapped around your body. You could feel the steam from the baths heating up the room and making you even more uncomfortable. _Even though we have really big tubs, it still takes an hour to get ready, huh?_ You'd been waiting for the other girls to get done bathing. _At least I have privacy here… Never thought I'd be in a sauna with the girls from Attack on Titan. _

"Yeah, I'm ready," you called back. You heard some splashing and low curses, and then Petra said "Okay, come on out"!

Nervously clutching your towel, you stepped out into the steaming hot room. White vapor immediately clouded your senses, making it nearly impossible to see anything. _What is this?_ you waved it away from your face with your free hand, squinting. The steam thinned a little, and you saw the large wooden tub, big enough to fit about four people if they squished a little, and every other female cadet (plus Petra) glancing over at you. Mikasa and Ymir were currently in the tub, while Petra, Krista and Sasha washed their hair. Thankfully, the water was cloudy enough that you couldn't see anything, and the rest of the girls were wearing robes. You felt yourself blush, but you hoped they couldn't tell. The room was hot enough to make anyone's face red.

"Oh good, you're out," said Petra. "You can put that on the bench. We won't look." You nodded and waited to everyone to avert their eyes before taking off the towel and plopping it onto the small wooden bench beside the tub. You gingerly got into the water, and were surprised to find that it wasn't boiling hot as you expected, but instead was pleasantly warm. The water only came up to about your hips. However, when you sat down and hugged your knees, the water bubbled up to just below your chin.

"You in yet?" asked Sasha.

"Yeah," you replied. "You guys can open your eyes now." Everyone stopped squeezing their eyes shut. Sasha, who wasn't washing anyone's hair at the moment, scooted over behind you.

"Lean back," she instructed. You obliged, feeling the rim of the tub rub against the back of your neck. Sasha began to massage the top of your head with her fingers.

"So…" you said as Sasha continued stimulating your scalp. "What do you guys usually do around here?"

"It's deadly boring," said Ymir. "All we do is chores, workouts, and review the expedition plans."

"Ymir," said Krista chastised. "We shouldn't complain in front of a superior!"

"It's alright when it's just me," said Petra. "But don't let anyone else hear you saying things like that."

"Fine," Ymir sighed. She leaned back a little farther. Mikasa glanced at you out of the corner of her eye.

"What do you usually do, (y/n)?" she asked.

"Oh," you said awkwardly. "I was talking to Sasha about their earlier. I go to school five days a week for about six hours, and then sometimes I have sports and music classes. Then I also have chores and homework after school and on the weekends. The rest is free time."

"So you're pretty occupied then," said Mikasa.

"Yeah, you could say that," you replied.

"What sort of things do you learn in school, (y/n)?" asked Petra, who was working her way through Ymir's hair with a wooden comb.

You sighed a little. "Mostly it's just facts shoved down my throat. But I guess…" you brought up a hand and started counting on your fingers. "Math, science, other languages, history, sex ed, geography, grammar and spelling, art, music, and P.E."

"How long have you been in school?" asked Krista.

"About… (insert how many years of school you've been in) years now." Petra dropped her comb.

"Wow," said Sasha quietly. "That's a long time."

"I guess," you said. "You guys only got three years of study, right?" They all nodded.

"And that was all about how to kill Titans," said Ymir.

"Hmm," you said. You leaned back a little more as Sasha began to comb your hair. There was a long pause in the conversation.

"When you say geography," said Mikasa after a while, "You don't mean geography of our world."

"That's right."

"So you looked at maps of the outside world."

"Yeah."

"Didn't you have one in your pack?" asked Krista.

"A map? Yeah, I had one."

"I got to look at that," mused Petra. "Nobody could make heads or tails of it, though. What's that shiny stuff it's coated in?"

"Plastic," you said. "The technique is called 'lamination'. It coats a piece of paper with a really thin layer of plastic, so it's still flexible, but it also protects it from ripping or getting wet."

"I've never heard of that material," said Mikasa.

"I guess not," you replied.

"Do you think you could show it to us when we're done with this?" asked Krista eagerly.

"Sure! I think you'd enjoy it," you said.

"Hey Petra, can you pass me the soap?" asked Ymir.

"Here," Petra said, handing the bar over to Ymir, who began to scrub her arms firmly.

"Is there any more soap?" you asked, turning your head so you could glance at Petra.

"Mm-hmm," she said, passing you a second bar. You took it from her, saying "Thanks," and you proceeded to wash your arms and legs in the now soapy water.

"I'm finished" said Krista, leaning back on her heels.

"Alright," replied Mikasa. "Don't look." You closed your eyes as Mikasa stepped out of the tub. A few seconds later, she said "I'm done," and you opened your eyes. Mikasa left the room wearing a robe and a towel wrapped around her head.

Some time later, Sasha and Petra both finished and you left for your room to go get changed and to bring the map down.


End file.
